


Step By Step

by kiyala



Category: Show By Rock!! - All Media Types
Genre: Communication, Kissing, M/M, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 03:08:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8828104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: Rom and Shuuzo talk things out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is set towards the end of season two, episode eleven - the night before the Pyuru Land opening.

It's late by the time Rom gets home, the exhaustion finally settling in his bones after spending most of the night at Café Angelica with everyone else after they'd finally finished their song. He stayed back after everyone else had left, helping clean up until Maple and Angelica shooed him home with a knowing look. 

He's taken the long way home, walking around the block to get rid of the energy simmering just under the surface. He knows it has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with who he's been playing with. He bites his lip to keep himself from smiling. It's been so long, but having Shuuzo stand in front of him, guitar in hand, feels just as good as it always did. It's different; too much time has passed, too many things have happened for it to feel exactly the same as before, but that's not such a bad thing either. 

Rom lives on the third floor of his apartment block and he finally gives into the smile that he's been fighting as he begins to climb the stairs. He lets himself into his apartment and pauses as the light from the hall outside illuminates the entrance. It's not quite enough to see properly, but he can tell that there's someone sitting on his couch. Rom exhales quietly, flicking the light on. "Shuu."

"You don't sound as surprised as I hoped you would be," Shuuzo hums, tipping his head back against the couch, his gaze not leaving Rom. 

He has his feet on Rom's coffee table, ankles crossed, but at least he's left the ridiculous pixie boots by the door, lined up beside Rom's work shoes. He's a burst of colour in Rom's otherwise plain apartment.

"Was I meant to be?" Rom asks. He shuts the door behind him, unlacing his boots and pulling them off before he looks at Shuuzo again. "You surprised me when you came home, in the middle of your tour, back during the battle of the bands. I figure that I'll just roll with anything else you throw at me."

"In the middle of our tour." Shuuzo grins at him. "Were you following our tour schedule?"

"You wish." With a quiet snort, Rom walks over to the couch. "The posters were everywhere. It was impossible not to notice. You didn't even stay until the end of the performance. I bet you pushed yourself to make sure you didn't miss any of your scheduled concerts."

Shuuzo gives him a familiar smile; the one Rom always used to receive when he saw through the dramatics and got right to the point. "It's a little belated, but congratulations on your victory."

Rom sits, leaning back against the couch and then glancing sideways at Shuuzo. "It's a good thing you showed up when you did."

Shuuzo smiles, taking his feet off the coffee table and turning so he's facing Rom. "You throw stronger punches these days."

"You could still stop me," Rom murmurs, trying not to pay attention to the way that Shuuzo is looking at his arms. "Thanks, by the way. You were right."

"Say that again?" 

Rom shoves him with a quiet laugh. "Nice try. Anyway, I guess you're back home now for real, huh?"

Shuuzo hums, resting his elbow on the back of the couch and propping his head up with a hand. He watches Rom with an unreadable look. "Grateful King contacted me before we even landed back on Sound Planet. Victorious must be stopped. I knew that Arcareafact was cheating when they defeated you the first time, but to think that it was her influence, that she was tainting their melodisians…"

Rom sighs. "Did everyone know about the cheating except for us?"

"Wasn't it obvious?" Shuuzo wrinkles his nose. "With a margin as big as it was, that first time? 

Rom shrugs. "I just thought that it meant we had to work harder."

Laughing, Shuuzo shakes his head. "Of course you would. Typical Rom."

"Don't," Rom mutters, looking away. "You make it sound like I haven't changed at all, while you have."

"You're an honest person," Shuuzo tells him. "That's not a bad thing. It makes you better than most."

Rom sighs heavily. "Don't play this game with me, Shuu. Not when you turned your spaceship around to come home, back then. Not when you're _here_."

"What game, Rom?"

"The one where you're the bad guy who doesn't care about anyone else except for himself. That guy wouldn't be here."

"Who am I, then?" Shuuzo asks, turning so that he's facing Rom on the couch.

"You're _Shuu_ ," Rom sighs. "Just Shuu."

"Well, you used to think that Shuu _was_ the bad guy," Shuuzo points out.

"You wanted me to."

Shuuzo smiles at him, but it's not dazzling or mocking. If anything, he looks sad. "Didn't it make things easier for you, though?"

"Bastard. I didn't ask you for that, did I?"

Shuuzo tilts his head to the side. "I was hurting you enough. I didn't want to make it more complicated than it had to be."

"You didn't care that I actually hated you?"

Squeezing his eyes shut, Shuuzo lets out a hollow laugh. "What kind of question is that? Of course I did."

"It's hard to tell," Rom sighs. "When you're being Shuuzo."

"That's the point," Shuuzo replies. "Most people don't have to know the difference."

"Most people," Rom echoes. He leans back against the couch. "Do the twins know?"

"Are you jealous?" Shuuzo teases with a grin, but it's quick to fade. He looks away. "I saw you playing on the stage that night, Rom, being just as genuine as you've always been, with your band. I thought that it was time I did the same with mine." 

"Good," Rom murmurs, nudging Shuuzo gently. "They deserve it." 

"So do you." 

Taking a deep breath, Rom sits up a little straighter. They've turned to face each other, and Rom can see the way Shuuzo's tail twitches a little, betraying his nerves. 

No, Rom thinks, that's not entirely right. It's a tic that Shuuzo learned to control back when they were younger. He's seeing it because Shuuzo is letting him. 

It's Shuuzo being honest, giving Rom the chance to make up his mind, to make his move. 

For a moment, Rom just sits there and watches Shuuzo. He takes in everything that has changed; his hair, his outfit, the tiredness around his eyes. He notices the things that haven't, like the confident upward tilt of Shuuzo's chin, the perk of his ears when he's being attentive, or when he's waiting.

Rom leaves him waiting a little longer, until Shuuzo catches on, the corners of his mouth twitching upward.

"You're being mean, Rom."

"We played together today. I think that says enough, don't you?"

"Maybe," Shuuzo allows. "But I want to hear you actually say it."

With a quiet snort, Rom relaxes back against the couch, unable to keep the fondness out of his voice. You were always so demanding, Shuu."

"I still am," Shuuzo replies. "I'm still a lot of the things I used to be. I just didn't let you see that. Or myself."

"You're still an idiot," Rom sighs. He presses his shoulder to Shuuzo's with a small smile. "I guess we've always had that in common, haven't we?"

"Always," Shuuzo laughs softly. He leans in so close that his fluffy ears brush against Rom's hair. It makes Rom pause for a moment, before relaxing again. It's been a long time since they've been this close and it feels strange, but it's not unpleasant.

Shuuzo notices, pulling back a little to look at Rom.

"I'm not used to this," Rom murmurs, stroking his fingers through Shuuzo's blond hair. "I still think of you with dark hair, like before. I didn't want to let myself get used to you as anything else. It felt too much like letting go of what we had. I didn't want to do that."

Shuuzo sighs softly. When Rom cups his cheek, Shuuzo leans into the touch. "You've never been good at letting go of things."

"You didn't exactly make it easy for me."

Placing his hand over Rom's, Shuuzo pulls it away and gives him a soft smile. It's not entirely apologetic, but Rom isn't expecting that anyway. "I knew that this wouldn't be easy, or pleasant, for either of us. I don't regret it, Rom. I wouldn't change it."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Rom sighs. "I know we can't go back. I wouldn't want to, anyway. I wouldn't give my band up for the world. Not even for you."

Shuuzo smiles wider, looking pleased this time. "Good. You've always been so loyal. You deserve a band that is good to you, like this one is."

"'We've grown a lot. Playing with you again today felt good, you know. You've improved." 

"So have you," Shuuzo replies. He's still holding onto Rom's hand and strokes his thumb across the back of it. "I know that I hurt you, but…"

"…I guess it was worth it," Rom finishes. "For both of us to get where we are now." 

For the longest time, Rom thought that he was the only one hurt by Shuuzo leaving. Sitting here now, he knows it isn't true. It hasn't been an easy path for either of them but despite everything, it feels like it was worth it. 

"You know," Rom murmurs, "I spent years hating you. Feeling like everything you did personally offended me. I couldn't stand you and I thought that if I hated you loudly enough, deeply enough, I wouldn't feel anything else for you. It… didn't really work." 

"I can't honestly say that I'm sorry you feel that way," Shuuzo admits. "If it helps, I haven't had much luck either."

"We're a fucking mess." 

Shuuzo laughs, loud and sharp, just the same as Rom remembers. Reaching forward, he holds Rom's chin between his long fingers, looking directly into his eyes. "We were so bad for each other, back then. Too young to know what we wanted. Naive enough to think it was the same as each other anyway."

"I used to think that making music with you and being with you were completely tied up in each other," Rom murmurs. "I didn't think I could have one without the other." 

"And now?" Shuuzo asks, his fingers still ghosting along Rom's jaw. "Do you think the same?"

Rom grins, wrapping his arm around Shuuzo's waist and pulling him back in again. Shuuzo lets out a soft noise of surprise, sprawling across Rom, hands braced against his chest. 

"You know the answer to that," Rom tells him, "or you wouldn't be here in the first place."

"I know the answer I'd _like_ to receive." Shuuzo has recovered enough from his surprise now, lowering his voice and leaning into Rom, close enough for their noses to brush against each other. "I'd like to think I've made by position very clear. It's your turn."

Laughing quietly, Rom pulls Shuuzo into a kiss. 

It's nothing like the way they used to kiss before. Back then, they used to kiss like they were running out of the time, even if they didn't realise that's exactly what was happening. They were impatient with everything, too full of love and not knowing what to do with it. 

This kiss is not quite as desperate. It's calmer and gentler than before. Just like they are.

In fact, Rom thinks as his lips curve into a smile against Shuuzo's, this is probably the worst kiss they've ever shared. Shuuzo is smiling too. He wraps his arms around Rom, shoulders trembling a little, until he pulls back so he can let out a soft, delighted, laugh. 

"Shit," Rom huffs out, pressing a kiss to the corner of Shuuzo's mouth. "This is actually happening, huh?"

Shuuzo rests their foreheads together. "You said something like that the first time, too. This isn't how I imagined it would happen."

"You imagined it, though." Rom rests his hands on Shuuzo's sides, pulling him closer. He spreads his legs, so Shuuzo can straddle him comfortably. "You imagined this happening."

"As if you didn't." Shuuzo strokes a hand through Rom's hair, resting it on the nape of his neck. "Kiss me again."

Shuuzo's right, but Rom isn't about to tell him that. Especially not when they could be kissing instead. It doesn't matter how long it's been since they've last done this because Shuuzo fits against him perfectly. All they need to do is stop smiling for long enough to actually kiss properly. 

It doesn't happen for a while, but Rom doesn't mind that either. There's no sense of urgency when he knows that Shuuzo isn't going anywhere. They'll perform together tomorrow, alongside everyone else. They'll defeat Victorious and keep Sound Planet safe. 

Rom doesn't worry about anything beyond that because the first time in years, he's confident in the knowledge that Shuuzo will be right there.


End file.
